One Forest Vision delegation at COP 30: stronger presence to represent the voice of tropical basins

A delegation embodying inter-basin cooperation

OFVi made a strong and highly strategic impression at COP30. Its delegation, bringing together researchers, coordinators, heads of partner space agencies, and representatives of scientific institutions from the Amazon, Congo, and Papua New Guinea, enabled the initiative to be active in numerous pavilions simultaneously. This mobilization enhanced the quality of exchanges, fueled major discussions on inter-basin dynamics, and paved the way for new structural partnerships.

The OFVi delegation was composed of coordinators and researchers from IRD (Nicolas Barbier, Ninon Besson, Tiphaine Degoute, and Laurent Durieux) and INRAE (Thierry Caquet and Murielle Trouillet), alongside Raphaël Tshimanga, director of the Congo Basin Water Resources Research Center (CRREBaC) in the DRC and co-chair of the Congo Basin Science Initiative (CBSI), as well as Alfred Ngomanda, Commissioner General of the National Center for Scientific and Technological Research (CENAREST) in Gabon, and Aboubakar Mambimba Ndjoungui, Director General of the Gabonese Agency for Space Studies and Observations (AGEOS). The OFVi team worked closely with several leading international partners: Claudio Almeida, Director of Biodiversity Monitoring at the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in Brazil; Laura Létourneau, expert in data management and ecological planning; Nadège Mezié, researcher and expert for the Franco-Brazilian Center for Amazonian Biodiversity (CFBBA); and Pagi Toko, Director of the New Guinea Binatang Research Center (NGBRC) in Papua New Guinea.

The joint presence of Gabon, Congo, Papua New Guinea, and Brazil was one of OFVi's major assets during COP30. It helped to consolidate trust between partners, identify focal points in each basin, and outline future trilateral cooperation between the Amazon, the Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia/Oceania.

A visible and strategic presence: organization of side events

Alongside its scientific, institutional, and diplomatic partners, OFVi delivered a powerful message: strengthen inter-basin cooperation in the service of science, public policy, and tropical forest conservation, a message in line with the Belém Call.

On November 11, OFVi organized two major events, which were introduced by Ms. Barbara Pompili, Ambassador for the Environment:

• at the France pavilion, alongside the CFBBA to promote a shared vision between Amazonia, Congo, and Asia-Pacific/Oceania
• at the Forest pavilion, in partnership with Expertise France and the MEAE, to highlight the link between scientific production, technical cooperation, and environmental diplomacy.

A social event in honor of youth

A highlight organized by OFVi and CFBBA took place on November 13 with a friendly event dedicated to young scientists: 180 people, mainly students from one of Brazil's largest universities, Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), gathered on the Iaraçu boat. Three students spoke, two young people from UFPA and Ninon Besson, an IRD/OFVi doctoral student in ecology, who emphasized the place of young people and women in science. The presentation by Pagi Toko, a recent graduate and director of the Binatang Centre in Papua New Guinea, provided a valuable inter-basin perspective. The evening ended with a festive Furdunço concert.

International recognition: guest appearances and strengthened partnerships

In addition to the events they organized, members of the OFVi delegation were invited to speak at several leading international sessions: clear recognition of the initiative's growing role in international scientific cooperation.
On November 10, OFVi highlighted scientific innovation with Nicolas Barbier's presentation on advanced artificial intelligence and biodiversity observation tools.
On November 12, the initiative was featured on several stages:

• at the French Guiana Territorial Collectivity pavilion, where IRD, SEAS Guyane, and AGEOS explored synergies between data infrastructures and inter-basin research;
• at the France pavilion, where OFVi participated in a session dedicated to moving “from data to action” around forest restoration, which concluded with the signing of a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) between SEAS Guyane, AGEOS, and IRD to structure cooperation between the Amazon and Congo regions.

Consolidating the role of the Congo Basin in global climate science

On November 15 and 18, OFVi and its Anglo-Saxon sister initiative CBSI jointly participated in events on the scientific implementation of the Belém Call. These interventions highlighted:

• the inter-basin scientific coordination,
• the scientific diplomacy as a lever for integration,
• the importance of transdisciplinary and participatory science,
• the need for sustainable funding to support research and action.

A scientific voice heard at the highest level

During the high-level ministerial segment on November 18, Nicolas Barbier spoke on behalf of science before all the donors to the Belém Appeal, reiterating the importance of coordinating initiatives, scientific governance capacities in Central Africa, and the essential rapprochement between science and local communities.